Who is Biker Bob? And why does a bottle full of his ashes keep washing up on the beaches of Vancouver Island?

Interview with Director Cat Mills

Watch Biker Bob's Posthumous Adventure here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I stumbled across Biker Bob's story while falling through the rabbit hole of the world wide web. I loved how one little action brought together a total group of strangers. Losing a loved one is always sad, what I liked about this story was that it was a positive life-after-death story.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

One of the comments that I often get about this film is that it can restore your faith in the world. That's a big statement, but intimately this film is about the kindness of strangers and the importance of taking care of one another. What we do can have a rippling effect in ways we can't ever predict. It's a reminder to make sure that what we send out into the world is positive.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I seek out stories about community. It feels like we are living in a very isolated society at times, and that we often use technology to try to fill a void. I think we need human interaction and friendship more than ever. Films about people making friends in the least likely of places always cheers me up, so it is something that I like to share.

Novelty also plays a big part in my films. I'm an avid reader and am exposed to a lot of material, and so when I find a story that makes me scratch my head and say "what?" I always investigate.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Biker Bob's adventure really happened in 2016 when his bottle washed up multiple times on Vancouver Island. It was all over the news. We made this film in late 2018, and while we knew the story already, it was really fun to talk to the people involved and hear their own interpretations and the lessons they took from it. There was a lot more heart in it than we anticipated.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been really positive. A lot of people have cried, which makes us pretty happy!

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

No, it hasn't surprised us. We still cry a lot when watching it too.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We'd like to increase the press around the film, to increase its visibility.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We'd like for more film festival programmers to check it out.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

We'd like to share the film to a wider audience and brighten their day with this strange little story. It's easy to dwell on all of the negative news, but there is a lot of kindness in the world - and we sometimes need to be reminded of it.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How do you want to be remembered?

Would you like to add anything else?

We made this film with an almost entirely female crew, which was a ton of fun.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm currently working on a short documentary about a collective of murder mystery writers, and a feature film about the world's oldest Air Guitarist.

Interview: July 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Biker Bob's Posthumous Adventure

Who is Biker Bob? And why does a bottle full of his ashes keep washing up on the beaches of Vancouver Island?

Length: 18:09

Director: Cat Mills

Producer: Joella Cabalu

Writer: Cat Mills

About the writer, director and producer:

CAT MILLS is an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for the unconventional. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, holding a BFA in Film Production. Cat's 2016 film, FIXED!, won first place in the 2016 Hot Docs Short Film Pitch competition. Her 2017 film Big Men, S went viral with over a million views. Cat is currently working on her first feature about the world's oldest Air Guitarist.

Joella Cabalu is an award-winning Filipino-Canadian Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker. Her first film, It Runs in the Family (2015), which won Audience Choice Awards at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival and Vancouver Queer Film Festival. She has developed a track record as a creative producer working with emerging women directors on compelling short documentaries, including FIXED! (2016) and Do I Have Boobs Now? (2017), a fascinating portrait of a trans activist which screened in festivals worldwide.

Key cast: Caleb Harding, Bethany Harding, Justun Bevis, Dave Walton, Maudine Previl, Andrew Corrigan

Looking for: film festival directors

Facebook: Biker Bob's Posthumous Adventure

Hashtags used: #BikerBobsAdventure #BikerBobsPosthumousAdventure

Other: CBC Short Docs, YouTube

Made in association with: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Funders: CBC Broadcasting

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? On Youtube